The Ukrainian army has taken over 3 km2 of territory near Bakhmout, in eastern Ukraine, one of the high points of the current counter-offensive by Kiev forces, the Ukrainian deputy minister announced on Monday August 14. of the defense. “In total, 40 km2 have already been liberated on the southern flank of the Bakhmout sector”, a town captured in May by Russia, Ganna Maliar told television.
During the night from Sunday to Monday, kyiv also thwarted Russian missile and drone attacks on the Odessa region (in the south) during which three civilians were injured, the Ukrainian army said. “The enemy attacked the Odessa region three times during the night, (using) two waves of attack drones, a total of 15 (drones), and 8 missiles” of the Kalibr type, the operational command said Ukrainian for the south of the country on Telegram, adding that all attacks were foiled by air defense.
On Sunday, seven civilians including a baby and a 12-year-old child were killed in Russian strikes on the Kherson region, also to the south, which also left 13 injured. France condemned “with the greatest firmness” these bombings, which once again illustrate Russia’s complete disregard for all the principles of international humanitarian law, which it flagrantly and repeatedly violates”, declared the door- word of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
Ukraine denounces Russian warning shots in the Black Sea
Ukraine denounced on Monday Russian warning shots fired the day before from a warship on a cargo ship heading for the Ukrainian port of Izmail in the Black Sea. “These actions illustrate Russia’s deliberate policy of threatening freedom of navigation and the safety of merchant shipping in the Black Sea,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
On Sunday, Russia announced that “warning shots were fired with light automatic weapons”, “in order to force the boat to stop”. According to Moscow, the captain of this ship flying the flag of Palau (an archipelago in Oceania), named the Sukru Okan, had not reacted to an order to stop for “an inspection concerning the transport of prohibited goods”. A helicopter with Russian soldiers on board then took off to inspect the ship, which was allowed to continue on its way to the Ukrainian port, according to the same source.
The river port of Izmail in the Odessa region has become one of the main exit routes for Ukrainian agricultural products since Moscow ended the grain export agreement in July, which allowed grain Ukrainians, since last summer, to leave the ports of the south of the country despite the blockade put in place by Russia. Moscow had then warned that any ship heading to Ukrainian ports would be considered a potential target. Since then, the number of attacks on the Odessa ports, but also the river ports of Izmail and Reni, has continued to increase.
Ruble drops to lowest since March
The ruble continued its fall on Monday morning, trading at more than 100 for 1 dollar and 110 for 1 euro, a first since March 2022, when the Russian currency collapsed in the wake of the military offensive against the ‘Ukraine.
The continued weakening of the ruble in recent weeks has many Russians fearing for their standard of living, against a backdrop of renewed inflation, Western sanctions and the growing financial cost of the Ukrainian conflict. Faced with this situation, the Russian Central Bank (BCR) was forced to raise its key rate to 8.5% on July 21, and suspended since Thursday (and until the end of the year) its foreign currency purchases. foreign exchange on the national foreign exchange market. The weakening of the rouble, however, allows the Russian state to replenish its coffers, because for each dollar or euro currently acquired, the government has de facto more rubles to cover its expenses, which have risen sharply due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Germany calls for diplomatic efforts
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for new diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. “It makes sense for us to continue these talks because they increase the pressure on Russia to realize that it has taken the wrong path and that it must withdraw its troops and make peace possible,” he said. he said in his annual summer interview with German television channel ZDF.
German Finance Minister in Kyiv
On the other hand, the German Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner, is making his first trip to Kiev on Monday since the start of the Russian invasion to show that Germany stands “alongside” Ukraine. Discussions should take place to define how the department can support Ukraine today and in the future. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Germany has provided some 22 billion euros to Ukraine in the form of humanitarian, financial and military aid, said the liberal minister, a member of the coalition of ‘Olaf Scholz. “Ukraine must not lose this war,” he added.
Chinese Defense Minister in Moscow
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu will visit Russia and Belarus from Monday, his ministry said in a statement. Ties between Beijing and Moscow have remained close in recent years, despite the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 2022. The two countries share a common desire to counter what they present as American hegemony.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic adviser said that the latter intended to visit China in October, in response to the invitation of his counterpart Xi Jinping, who had visited Moscow in March. It would be Vladimir Putin’s first trip to China since the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine. A few weeks before the start of the offensive, he had traveled to Beijing on the occasion of the Winter Olympics organized by its Chinese neighbor.